Inventors show off DYI drones, robots

By Deborah Sullivan Brennan • U-T
| 6:51 p.m.Dec. 7, 2013

John Snyder shows off his LEDs with Arduino during the San Diego Mini Maker Faire that showcases technological inventions ranging from robotics and drones to countertop aquaponics and unicorn bikes.
Jamie Scott Lyle

John Snyder shows off his LEDs with Arduino during the San Diego Mini Maker Faire that showcases technological inventions ranging from robotics and drones to countertop aquaponics and unicorn bikes.

DEL MAR  With a personal flight device made from an Electrolux vacuum canister and ceiling fan blades, Bob Mogg was ready to defend the Del Mar Fairgrounds against zeppelin fleets, should they attack.

He apologized, however, when the rains that flooded the fairground parking lot also increased the barometric pressure, rendering his device inoperable.

Mogg was part of the steam punk contingent at the San Diego Mini Maker Faire, a celebration of technology, innovation and imagination. Here, south of the North Pole, a host of electronics elves opened their workshops to the public.

Billed as “part county fair, part science fair,” it brought together hackers, tinkerers and gadgeteers. It’s an offshoot of the Maker Movement, spurred by Make Magazine, which encourages do-it-yourself crafting and technology.

“New technology is reawakening us to things we can do,” said Dan Hendricks, owner of Open Source Maker Labs, a do-it-yourself digital fabrication shop that will open in San Marcos in January. “We went through a period of passive consumerism where we waited for products to come to us. Then people realized that products come from us. That’s the American way.”

Visitors to the fair could view robotics demonstrations, check out 3D printers, learn to solder or participate in a variety of old-fashioned or upcycled craft activities — the art of turning waste into treasure.

It was the first such fair in San Diego, said Dale Dougherty, the CEO of Maker Media, which publishes Make Magazine and launched the first Maker Faire in San Francisco in 2006. Based on the response and attendance, he said he expects to host another here next year.

The opportunity to create from scratch sparks interest among people who have seized on new technology to realize their ideas, he said.

“It strikes something in people that I think is deep and meaningful,” Dougherty said. “Technology is an enabler. It’s making it easier and cheaper for people to make things.”

While hobbyists have long labored in solitude on their creations, the maker movement taps into the social side of the process, allowing inventors to share their innovations, he said.

At a booth for Fab Lab San Diego, Dylan Drotman exhibited a prototype for his robot, Mivinci, which can be operated remotely from around the world.

Engineer James Gray displayed resin models of a skull, crab, arrowhead and chess piece produced by a 3D printer, which lays down layers of resin to produce a three-dimensional object.

Across the hall, exhibitors demonstrated remote-control “multicopters,” or drones, in a flight cage. The devices are built with multiple fan blades, miniature engines and gyroscopes from Wii gaming systems. Some also contain GoPro cameras to shoot video or photos.

At about $200 to $500 apiece, they’re relatively affordable, and useful not only for recreation but also for construction, pipeline work and aerial photography, said Chance Roth, president of the San Diego Drone User Group.

Drones, along with robotics and 3D printing, are what Roth called the three pillars of the maker movement, attracting users with accessible innovation.

“There’s a wonder factor,” Roth said of the drones. “It’s hanging out in the sky. Everyone loves things that fly. Robots that fly are even cooler.”

Although Mogg’s flight device was a prop, rather than a true form of propulsion, it’s construction required technical finesse as well.

“People who like steam punk like the aesthetics of the Victorian era, when things weren’t just plastic, but metal and very ornamented,” he said. “You can’t just go to Wal-Mart and pick up a British red coat. A lot of gear people have is handmade, so it’s very much DIY.”

At an upcycled jewelry station, visitors could assemble necklaces or bracelets made of beads, wire and industrial objects. Organizer Debra Berl, a social worker who also sells a line of “spiritual steam punk” jewelry, said it helps keep things green by demonstrating the artistic value of recycled material.

Yazmin Quinones, 15, crafted a necklace from castoff keys and colored beads, and said she enjoyed the fusion of art and technology.

“To do it you have to build something from the beginning to end, and create stuff nobody thought of.”